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The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Tuesday, Feb. 9
7:11 a.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Theft.
8:37 a.m. 500 block of Sixth Street; Animal complaint.
8:57 a.m. Keith Street area; Traffic incident.
9:36 a.m. 1900 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
9:51 a.m. 100 block of Egle Mill Lane; Suspicious vehicle.
9:56 a.m. 500 block of Louisa Street; Suspicious vehicle.
10:04 a.m. Marguerite and Elm streets; Accident.
10:33 a.m. 200 block of Franklin Street; Animal complaint.
11:11 a.m. 500 block of Barrow Street; Medical emergency.
1:31 p.m. 600 block of Shannon Street; Complaint.
2 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Lost wallet.
2:19 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Narcotic investigation.
2:29 p.m. Brashear Exit area; Accident.
2:52 p.m. 1200 block of Maple Street; Complaint.
3:28 p.m. 3000 block of Keith Street; Narcotic investigation.
4:05 p.m. 1800 block of Filmore Street; Complaint.
4:36 p.m. 200 block of Louisa Street; Complaint.
5:19 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Theft.
5:52 p.m. 100 block of South Railroad Avenue; Assistance.
6:59 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
8:18 p.m. 1100 block of Chester Bowles Street; Medical.
8:43 p.m. U.S. 90 West; Stalled vehicle.
9:29 p.m. 600 block of Marshall Street; Medical.

Being forced to spend more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has led enterprising individuals to seek ways to pass the time. Is it any wonder that creative pursuits have become so popular over the last year?
Crafting can help people fill their time, reduce stress, inspire new relationships, and serve as a source of pride when an item is handmade from start to finish.
In an online study published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy that surveyed 3,500 knitters, respondents felt there was a relationship between knitting frequency and feeling calm. Experts surmise that the rhythmic, repetitive movements and focused attention of certain crafts might produce a calming effect not unlike meditation.
Crafting helps exercise several areas of the brain, including those responsible for problem solving, creativity and concentration, states Craft Courses, an online crafting course company.
The following are some unique crafts for those looking for something new.
—Quilling: This craft also goes by the name paper filigree. It involves twisting, rolling or looping thin strips of paper and then gluing them together to make designs. They can adorn the outside of homemade cards, or be attached to stock and then framed.
—Decoupage: Another paper craft, this one involves sticking small pieces of paper of any kind to another item and then coating the object with varnish. Just about anything can be improved and customized with decoupage.
—Marquetry: Marquetry involves applying pieces of wood veneer to a structure to form a decorative pattern or picture. Think of it as paint-by-number but with wood veneer. The technique often is applied to small objects or furniture.
—Bead crochet: Crochet artists may want to take their crafting up a notch with bead crochet, which incorporates beaded string or yarn into a crocheted item.
—Water marbling: Water marbling is a unique craft that produces a different result each time it is done. The crafter fills a tub roughly two-thirds full of water, adds a special chemical to allow oils to float on the water’s surface, then drops different colors of oil-based paint onto the water. The colors can be swirled and manipulated. A paper or piece of canvas is then placed on the surface of the water so that the design can transfer onto the material.
—Pyrography: Pyrography involves using a heating source and burning designs into a piece of wood. The term literally means “writing with fire.”
These lesser-known crafts can be good diversions and help individuals learn new skills.

FRANKLIN — Parish President David Hanagriff on Wednesday pledged to oppose the St. Mary School Board’s proposed sales tax increase all the way to election day.
“I’m going to be against it,” Hanagriff told the St. Mary Parish Council, “and I’m going to talk about it at every meeting.”
The proposed 0.45% sales tax will appear on the March 20 ballot across the parish. The tax’s stated purpose is to fund a $3,000 annual raise for certified board employees, mostly teachers, and a $1,500 raise for other employees. The tax will raise an estimated $4 million a year.
School Board members and administrators have said the raises are necessary to attract and keep good employees.
Hanagriff said he’s opposing the tax for two reasons. One is his feeling that the timing is wrong for a tax increase.
The parish has struggled economically for more than six years since oil prices dropped from more than $100 per barrel to $40 or less, hampering the offshore energy production on which thousands of St. Mary rely. Economic restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed parish unemployment over 14% in April 2019.
The St. Mary jobless rate in December was still at 7.9%.
Hanagriff also feels the School Board hasn’t done enough to reduce spending before asking voters to approve the tax. Board members haven’t been willing to compromise on a more palatable tax proposal, Hanagriff said.
He also objected to what he said are attempts to characterize tax opponents as being anti-teacher. Hanagriff noted this his wife is a teacher.
“I’m clearly not against the teachers of St. Mary Parish …,” Hanagriff said. “They shouldn’t use the teachers that way.”
Parish Councilman Craig Mathews supported Hanagriff’s position.
“I agree our School Board has been derelict” on matters of finance and operation, Mathews said.
St. Mary Superintendent Teresa Bagwell emailed this response Thursday morning.
“The St. Mary Parish School Board has both compromised on a sales tax proposition with parish and state officials throughout the formulation of the ballot measure and taken into consideration the state of the economy.
“Additionally, the board has moved to enact fiscally responsible measures to cut spending and operate the school system in a budget conscious manner. The Minimum Foundation Program that serves as the foundation of all school district budgeting has remained steady for several years despite the added costs incurred by local systems in educating children.
“Further, the St. Mary Parish School System remains at one of the lowest funded systems in dedicated parish revenue in the state. The 2021 sales tax measure of .45% is the first to be submitted to voters since 1988 and is solely dedicated to the salaries and benefits of teachers and support personnel. While the school system recognizes the timing of such a measure, it is also incumbent upon the district that we offer our children a certified teacher in every classroom and without a competitive beginning salary or an average salary that is near the state average, this is inherently difficult.”
The School Board first moved to place a 0.5% sales tax before voters in December 2019. The original proposal was to fund the staff raises as well as support a technology fund.
In response to opposition from Hanagriff, state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, and others, the board trimmed the proposal to 0.45% and dropped the technology fund.
After the hoped-for spring 2020 election was delayed by COVID-19 restrictions, the board withdrew the tax from consideration last year when members felt the ballot language from the Secretary of State’s Office wasn’t accurate.
The School Board voted in November to put the 0.45% sales tax with no technology funding on the March 20 ballot. Early voting will be 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. March 6-13 except for Sunday, March 7.
In other business, the council accepted three planning and zoning recommendations:
—The subdivision of property at 10501 La. 87 in Jeanerette, zoned for single-family residential.
—The subdivision of property at 1004 Big Four Corners Road in Jeanerette, zoned agricultural.
—The rezoning of 12 properties between 259 and 301 Darwin Road in Centerville from existing neighborhood to agricultural.
Also Wednesday:
—The council said farewell to retiring County Agent Jimmy Flanagan, who will leave the post soon.
Flanagan, who was a drum major for the LSU Marching Band in the early 1970s, farmed in north Louisiana and Arkansas before joining the LSU AgCenter in 1996 in Iberia Parish. He came to St. Mary Parish soon afterward.
He plans to continue to do consulting work and research.
—The council applauded the work of Jessica Randazzo, the parish nutrition agent.
Randazzo has helped create gardens at parish schools, and surplus produce is sometimes donated to the St. Mary Council on Aging.
She has also worked with the SNAP-Ed program, which is designed to help recipients of Supplement Nutrition Assistant Program, or food stamp, benefits stretch their food dollars with healthier meals.
Councilman J Ina, the principal at Franklin Junior High, said Randazzo helped start a 4-H program at the school.
“She has done a phenomenal job,” Ina said.
—The council approved a $100,000 payment for a new Baldwin firetruck. The money was appropriated but not spent in a previous budget.

Louisiana will maintain its current mandates and restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday.
Edwards made the announcement shortly before he and other state officials received their first COVID-19 vaccine doses at Baton Rouge’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where officials are launching a COVID-19 vaccination clinic they said is capable of serving more than 7,000 people a week.
The current executive order dealing with COVID-19 mitigation expires Wednesday. The new order will extend for 21 days the state’s mask mandate and limitations on crowd sizes and how many people are allowed inside businesses and churches.
“Our conduct should not change in the foreseeable future,” Edwards said.
Restaurants, gyms, barber shops, salons, theaters and most retail businesses in Louisiana will continue to be limited to half of their normal indoor capacity. Places of worship will remain at a maximum of 75% of their capacity or the number of people who can physically distance with at least 6 feet between each immediate household.
For bars in parishes where the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests is above 5%, barrooms are closed to indoor sales and consumption but still can serve up to 50 people outside. Indoor gatherings at event centers and sporting events are limited to 25% capacity, while outdoor gatherings where maintaining physical distance is not possible are limited to 25% capacity or up to 150 individuals.
When looking at the factors state officials consider when deciding on restrictions, the numbers are trending in the right direction but remain dangerously high, Edwards said. For example, hospitalizations are down 22 from Monday to 1,122, which is well below the post-holiday surge seen in early January but still higher than during the summer.
“There has been some progress over the last month or so,” he said. “The baseline numbers remain very high and concerning.”
Edwards also said he was worried about a new strain of the coronavirus, first identified in the United Kingdom, that is more dangerous and easier to transmit. A handful of cases of the new strain have been identified in Louisiana, though officials said there are likely far more cases than have been confirmed.
Still, Edwards expressed hope current rules could be loosened if current trends continue.
The new vaccination clinic at Pennington, launched in collaboration with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, can serve more than 7,000 people in a week once enough vaccine doses are made available to reach that level, said John Kirwan, Pennington’s executive director.
State officials are expecting a 5% increase in the number of vaccine doses they will get from the federal government next week, but Edwards said he could not commit to sending a set number of doses to Pennington.
Many workers at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, who were among the first to have vaccine access, are declining to get vaccinated. Only 26% got vaccinated when they had their first chance to do so, and that percentage has risen to 38% now that workers at half of the state’s facilities have gotten a second chance, said Dr. Joseph Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health.